Writing the Book

Writing the Book

Sue Leaf

Publisher:

University of Minnesota Press

DOI:10.5749/minnesota/9780816675647.003.0013

This chapter describes the seven years of work csrried out by Thomas Sandler Roberts and his associates in the creation of The Birds of Minnesota. In 1927, his wife Jennie had a stroke which essentially incapacitated her. Because of this, Roberts greatly curtailed his social life. Reduced sociability helped Roberts in working on his book. He felt great pressure to finish it as he reached the age of seventy, in addition to the decline of health and death of friends the dwindling birdlife in Minnesota. Despite of his diminished openness, his friends donated money for the work. Their contributions became the Thomas S. Roberts Fund, to be used initially for the publications of the book, and later as a permanent trust for the natural history museum. For seven years, The Birds of Minnesota consumed him. He worked in his home and at the museum, all the while teaching at the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.